Rotary drill.



G. W; MGALLISTER.

ROTARY DRILL.

APPLIUATION FILED MAR.8,1911.

1,1 1 3, 1 32. Patented Oct. 6, 1914.

' V 3 SHEETS-SHEET 1. F- 1 L9 WITNESSES \IINVENTOR ATTORNEY.

G. W. Mc-ALLLSTER.

ROTARY DRILL.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 8, 1911.

Patented 001;. 6,1914.

mam

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Halli/1451114 5/1 INVE/VTUH 6 mm: W/l/Mh 07:7;

B Y '%EY WITNESSES.-

G. W. MOALLISTER.

ROTARY DRILL. APPLICATION IILED mums, 1911.

Patented 0Ct.6,1914.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3 QQW 1 1% LTF%JL 7g 1 1 W a7 INVENTOR' ATTORNEY to any desired depth with the greatest GEORGE WATSON MCALLISTER, OF SAN FRANGISCG, CALIFORNIA.

ROTARY DRILL.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 6, 1914.

Application filed March 8, 1911. Serial No. 613,064.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, Gnome "WA'rsoN McALLIs'ruR, a citizen of the United States, residing at San Francisco, in the county of San Francisco and State of Californiznhave invented a new and useful Rotary Drill, of

which the following a specification in such full and clear terms as will enable those skilled in the art to construct and use the same.

This invention relates to a rotary well drill, and its object is to produce a drill which can be used for prospecting oil fields pos sible speed. It will be noticed by those skilled in the art, that it is frequently neces sary to put down prospecting holes to ascertain the strata of given locations in order that it may be determined whether or not a regular size oil well will be profitable.

In the present invention, the apparatus is so designed as to be intended to drill continuously, all of the apparatus being especially designed to keep the drill and drill rods rotating at all times.

Another object of the invention is to produce a driving mechanism which will be capable of rotating the drill rods and bit under such pressures as are demanded thereof without in any way interfering with the feed of the drill rods therethrough.

A further object of the invention is to produce a gripping device which will be capa ble of being applied to the drill rods as the drilling proceeds, without in any way intertering with the rotation of said rod as a whole.

A further object of the invention is to provide means whereby fresh length of drill rod may be applied to the rod in use without stopping the rotation of the main drill shaft or rod.

A further object of theinvention is to produce a drill which will operate with a minimum clearance whereby it is possible to pump cement between the casing and the hole to close oil water bearing strata from the oil bearing strata.

It will be understood by those skilled in the art that where the rotary drill is used and where the pulverized rock passes up outside of the drill, it is very diflicult to prevent the hole from becoming larger; than it should be and it is difiicult to keep such a hole from T permitting the water to pass down into. the

oil bearing ground, thus causing considerable losses. lVith this invention the clearance is determined by the size of the crushed steel used and by using a bit .liaving more or less set as the case may be, but in any event it is contemplated that the clearance shall be as small as possible. During the drilling operations, the cement can then beforced into the well between a short piece 01 casing sunk to the first impervious stratum and the drill rods from any suitable pump capable of pressure up to 150 pounds, and a thin but efiective casing thus formed outside the drill rods to seal ofi otherwise troublesome water strata from the strata below that require protection. When the desired depth has been reached, and a knowledge of the i'ormation obtained, permanent protection of the valuable oil bearing sands may be had by cementing the entire hole by filling it with cement through the center opening as the rods are withdrawn. A further advantage of this apparatus is that it permits the taking of samples through the central opening of the drill rod by lowering a thin steel tube having a suitable valve at the lower end to the topmost core-breaker at which point it can be filled with a sample much less diluted than it would be if sent to the top by an excess of water forced through the.downflow openings. A- further advantage of this design is that each of the several parts of they apparatus may be made light enough for muleback transportation. Continuity of operation is secured by duplicating the motor and transmission parts of the mechanism, so that onehalf will beidle most of the time but can be put into operation immediately by suitable clutches when required. This duplication of the power plants is, however, omitted from the drawmgs since it forms no part, of the invention.

Other objects of the invention will appear as the description proceeds.

WVhen the character of the various oil and water bearing strata have been determined and charted, the boring for production of oil can be done with the greatest advantage and with the least waste of drilling funds. When the producing well is put down, suitable precautions for the prevention of the admission of waterto the oil bearing strata can then be taken.

Inthe drawings in which the same numeral of reference is applied to the same portion throughbut the several views, Figare l is a. side elevation partly in-section of the main driving apparatus, thefdrill grips, the water swivel and the means for adding to the drill rod a fresh'length of pipe. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the apparatus illustrated in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a broken'view of a portion of the driving wheel illustrating the mannerof holding the driving:

shells, Fig. 4 is a plan viewof oneof the drill rods, Fig. 5 is a vertical sectional viewv of the water swivel, Fig. 6 1s a vertical sectional view of a portion 'of one of the supporting frames and the supporting cones,

' Fig. 7 is a plan view ofone of'the. support ing beams, .a portion of the supporting cone being broken away therefrom for purposes ofillustration, Fig. 8 is a sideelevation of one-half of the driving pulley for assemb'ling a fresh length of drill, Fig. 9 is a plan view of said pulley, Fig. 10 is a side e1evation of said pulleyshowing one ofthe locks for holding the two parts thereof together, Fig. 11 is a longitudinal sectional view of the two driving shells, Fig. 12 is an end view of the two driving shells, and Fig. 13 is a '25 View of the two driving shells looking at the opposite ends from those shown in Fig.12 r

lhe numeral 1 represents the drill bit to which is secured the coupling 2 and series of drill rods 3. 'Itis intended to use drill rods of a convenient length, which is'about 5 feet,fresh drill rods being added at the top as the bore proceeds. At the ground elevation there is a platform 4 having s'uit= able uprights 5 secured theretofor the supof'rod. The beam 9 is provided with ballraces for series of balls 11 and 12, the former being near the bottom of the beam while the latter is at the" top. These balls support the member 10 revolubly, said member comprising a ring' 13 at the bottom thereof and a ring 14 at the top thereof, I beam struts 15 spacing the two-rings apart. Each of ,the rings 13 and 14 is provided with a number of balls 16 which project within said rings for the purpose of catching and holding-the two supporting grips 17. The two supporting grips 17 are frustoconical on the outside and'they have cyline drical openings therein to grip the well rodi;

' The two members 17 together form, a coinplete circle and are intended to be dropped into place in the support 10 when it is necessary to change or add a fresh length .of well rod. It will be noted that the balls 16 are placed in curved seats, said curve 66 enabling the grip to be held tightly by said the grips 17 balls andv thus permitting rotation. of the support 10 on theball sets 11 and 12. Since grips 17 will be rotating with the drill rod when they have been dropped into place in the support 10, some means of removingthem therefrom must be provided; this means in flange .18, which is integral with the top of each'half of the grip 17. This en- 'ables a flat bar to be inserted below the flanges 18 while the grips-are rotating, and,

upon lifting the entireflset of well rods, the grips may-be elevated, and as soon as ele-.

vated will free themselves from the well rod. In order to insure the proper holding effect upon the polished surface of the drill '30- rods, each o'f'the grips'l'lisv provided with a a series of inserts 20 .of's'uch material as to give the desired amount of friction when pressed against the drill rod. Secured above the support 5 is a support 21- which extendsupwardly and carries a beam 22, the latter having suitable cross-g beams for the journals of the feed screws 7 and 8. g The feed screws extend vertically, one of them having a bevel gear-24 in mesh with a bevel gear 2-5 on a shaft 26. The

shaft 26 is provided with a crank 27 to rotate the feed screws. In order to insure the equal rotation of each feed screw, each screw is provided with an extension thereof which-projects through the beam 9 and which carries a sprocket wheel 28 for "a chain belt 29' passing therearound in order 1 "to drive eachscrew equally.

The feed screws support a beam 31 substantially like the beam .9 Sfl'Ve that as the feed screws rotate the beam :31 travels up or down the feed screws as may be desired. This beam 31 carries-a support substantially the same as the support 10, a plate 33 at the bottom v 7 thereof being bolted thereto to prevent said support from being dislodged, from the.

beam. -Thi's support in turn is" provided with similar inwardly projecting balls for; the purpose of catching a pair. of grips 34 substantially the same in every. respect as A1; the top of the set of drill rods the wa as swivel 3551s threaded onto said rods. The

' water swivel comprises a bail 36 supporting 1 an annulus 37, having, projecting ears 38 which pass through eyes in the ends ofv the bail. The annulus 37 is provided with a ball race on its upper side in which there are balls 39, said balls forming the suppo t .for

to provide means whereby the water 'be prevented from .escaping at the junction of the head 40 and the outer sleeve of the drill rodto which theheadis secured. Thismeans comprises an apron 41 which'fits' the outside of the drill rod snugly and which. is

curved at its lower end to permit the easy insertion of the fresh drill rod therein. The apron 41 has an additional object in that it is used for the purpose of releasing the water swivel from the drill rod when the fresh length of drill rod has been bored to a proper depth.

In order to insure absolutely smooth and.

perfect working of the revoluble parts of the water swivel with respect to the fixed parts thereof, a ring 42 is secured to the depending portionof the head 40 and it has a ball race with balls 43 therein, this flange also preventing dislodging of the head from the ring 37 during the several operations of changing from one drill length to another. The head 40 is provided with an upwardly projecting threaded nipple 44 having an opening therethrough which corresponds to a central opening in the drill rods, and surrounding this opening there are four smaller openings which permit the water to flow to the outer openings through the drill rods, said openings terminating in Y a circular 5 groove 45 on the inside of the head. This circular groove 45 matches a similar one on each drill rod and thus insures against closing of the longitudinal openings should the position of the head with respect to the drill rod be'changed a few degrees. That is, it is well understood by those skilled in the art, that it is very difficult to screw a coupling or member such as the head 40 to exactly the same place each time, so that there 5 might be a slight slip. Supported upon the head 40 and surrounding the nipple 44 at a portion thereof which is not threaded is a fixed water feed plate 47, said feed plate being suitably packed at 48 to prevent the 40 escape of the water therefrom when forced thereinto through the opening 49. A suitable pipe 50 is threaded into the'plate 47 for the purpose of passing water thereinto and for holding said plate from rotating.

5 Screwed upon upper end of the nipple 44 is a member 51 which rotates with the head 40 and which holds the plate 47 down into contact with the top of said head; This member 51 has an opening therethro-ugh 50 large enough at its upper end to receive the water discharge sleeve 53, suitable packing being placed at 54 to prevent the discharge of water on the outside of said sleeve 53.

-The sleeve 53 is secured in place by means 55 of the ring 55 which is bolted to the top of the sleeve 51. The sleeve 53 has a pipe 56 connected thereto for the discharge of water and cut rock, said pipe also holding the sleeve 53 from rotating. It. will be under- 60 stood by those skilled in the art, that the water swivel is connected with passes through the head of the drill rig in a manner well known, but which is not shown here since not a part of this invention.

tightly held together.

1 wheel.

a cable which i The entire length of drill rods is diven from a large bevel wheel 60. This wheel is supported in turn upon uprights 61 of which there may be any desired number, and it is preferably supported upon some form of anti-friction bearing since the power required to drive such a drill as this considerable and none of it should be wasted. This bevel wheel carries bearings 62 above and below, said bearings supporting rolls (33, each set of rolls being placed at right angles to the other set. The shafts of these rolls project through the-bearings 62 and the two shafts of each set are'connected by means of links 64, said links extending substantially straight across from one shaft to the other and being pivoted together at (55, said pivot supporting weight (36 for the purpose of drawing the two rolls together, thus enabling the driving grips ()7 to be very The weight (36 is as-. sisted in its object by means of a rod (56 which is connected to the links (34 and which passes through the web of the large bevel This rod has a heavy spring (36* thereon and a nut 66' bears upon a washer below the spring. This enables the pressure of the rolls to be regulated to a certain extent and secures them flexibly together.

Because of the small diameter of the well rods 3, and becauseof the fact that they are rotated by the rolls (-33 with a line contact, it is necessary to increase the driving radius and the coeilicient of friction between the rods and the drive wheel. This is accomplished by means of grips 67, which are thick enough to increase the driving radius and to give a better grip upon the well rods as they contain high coellicient inserts inside and outside. The necessity of placing two sets of driving rolls at right angles to each other is because of the fact that the grips must be inserted either upon raising the well rods or upon lowering them when they are rapidly rotating. This might bring two of the grips 67 between the driving rolls in such a manner as to be liable to permit them to be so caught as not to grip the drill rod. But this is entirely avoided with the two sets of rolls at right angles to each other since should one set of rolls be so placed upon the grips the other set would be sureto be placed in such a mannerals to adequately hold the drill rod. Driving wheel .60 is driven from the bevel wheel 70 on a shaft 71, journaled in bearings 72, said shaft receivingpower from any suitable source, as, for example, a pulley 73. The intention being to operate the drill rod continuously, it becomes necessary to provide means whereby fresh lengths of rod can be added from time to time without in any way interfering with the drilling operations. be necessary to drive the entire set of rods It will of course .coupling thereon. In a similar manner it 'is possible to add new rods to the topby increasing the rotation of the fresh rod above that of the'drill rod in use. fore, when it is desired to add a new section to the rods: in use, the'lower grips 17 are dropped into place against the. drill. rod.

The beam 31 is then raised to the top of the screws supporting the same, the water swivel vhaving'been first removed from the top of'the well rod by retarding it by friction against the depending apron 41. "When the beam- 31 is in a raised position free from all of the-rods, the grips therein are raised soasto be free from a new section of rod which is placed therethrough.- The water swivel is thenconnected'to the top: of the fresh section of rod and the pulley shown at 7 5 is secured on said fresh section of rod near the lower end thereof. This pulley 75 is divided into two portions, as illustrated in Figs. 11 and 12,-and it is grooved around its periphery to receive .rope belt 76. Since this pulley is only intended for the purpose of placing the fresh section of rod on the section in use, the power required to be transmitted by it to the fresh section of rod is only that required to screw the fresh section of rod on the section in use. It is therefore necessary to provide means whereby it may be pressed tightly enough against the fresh section of rod to screw it into place. A temporary lock 76 is provided to hold thetwo'parts of, the pulley together when it is being placed upon the fresh section ofrod. This lock 76 has depending ears 77 which pass into'openings in each of'the halves of the pulley thus holding the two halves together- .Connected with the center of the lock 76 is a rod 7 8 whichis long enough to extend entirely through the pulley and project from the bottom thereof as much as the points 77 project below the general body'of the lock 76. Each half of the pulley has a groove cut therein, as illustrated at 79, the object being to provide a shoulder against which i v the spring 80 may be tightened, this spring being of such strength as may be necessary to hold the two parts of the pulley against the fresh drill section todrive the same into place. The pulley having been placed into position upon the fresh section, a belt 76 is passed thereover, the guide arm 81 holding the rod in place. This guide comprises two Therecollars 83 holding said arms inv any desired position. The purpose of the arms 81 is to hold the fresh drill section at a fixed disrods in use.

- 'The pulleysSi are supportedon a horizontal shaft 85 suitably. journaled' in the framework of the apparatus. These two pulleys change the direction of the movement of thebelt 76 to enable it to be driven from the main drive shaft 71. The main drive shaft is provided with a pulley 87 below which the belt 76lpasses, and loosely mounted upon the shaft 71 is a lever 88, said lever carrying a small pulley 89 which is used as a belt tightenerto drive the pulley 75 whennecessary. The belt 76 is crossed between the pulley 87 and the pulleys 8.4: in orderto give the proper direction of rotation to the fresh lengthof drillrod. The lever 88 is lifted up and pressed against the belt 76 to tighten it sufficiently to rotate the fresh drill sectionat the desired speed.

Since-it becomes necessary to rotate the, fresh drill section faster than the rotation of the maindrill rods to connect 'it. thereto, the proportions of the gears 60 and 70, and of the'pul-leys 75 and 87 must besuch that-- it'is possibleto rotate-the pulley 75 slightly.

faster than the rotation of the gear, 60.

The grip inserts 67 are substantia'llyhalfcylindrical shells having 1 their ends so formed as to readily adapt. themselves to the necessary crowding into and out of the drive rolls 63. The lower ends of these grips form together a frustum of a cone, as shown at 90, which tapered ends fit withinthe oppositely-tapered end ofthe next adjacent-section. The objec'tof this is.to make easier the insertion and removal of fresh grips, as mav-benecessary. v I i Since this drilling apparatus is intended ,to be operated continuously when the hole is started and until the rods are. withdrawn therefrom, it becomes necessary to use some form of a drill rod and bit which is especially adapted for the purposes to be carried out by the apparatus.- Such a drill rod is shown in Figs. 1.6 and 19, the formerof which is a plan thereof, and the latter a side elevation of one end of one of said drill rods, each end of each rod being identical.

which is formedwith an opening therearms having-rollers at their movable ends through, as shown in Fig. 16, and with waand adjustable vertically upon posts 82, ter supply channels 91 at the sides thereof, 1

\ wa es this particular form being chosen for convenience in manufacture. This inner member 90 is threaded at each end as illustrated in Fig. 19, and a sleeve 92 is shrunk thereon to complete the channels 91 and to give additional strength to the rod. Inasmuch as the precise position of each coupling with respect to the drill rod to which it is Socured can not be exactly predicted when the coupling and rod are put together as is contemplated herein, it becomes necessary to groove the inner member 90, as shown at 93, so that when the coupling is placed thereon, there willbea continuous channel from one rod to another through each coupling. p

The operation of the apparatus is substantially as follows: Assuming a hole to be started and the apparatus ready to run, a number of connected drill rods are placed in position betwcenthe rolls 63. The grip inserts 67 are then placed upon the rods and are forced between the rolls 63, the pressure upon said'grips being reat enough to do the necessary driving. The water swivel is then connected at the upperend of the set of rods, and the machine is ready to start,

7 the grips 34: being placed in position against i thereby.

the well rods. Since at this time the drilling is just starting, the beam 31 will be near the top of the feed screws 7 and 8. The machine is then started and the drilling proceeds, the persons in charge feeding the beam 31 down as becomes necessary. As the drilling proceeds and the beams 31 descends, the grips 17 are placed within their support, although held off from said support to prevent them.

from catching the drill rods. The drilling then continues until the beam 31 gets as close to the grip 17 as is desirable. When this has happened, the grips 17 are released and are dropped against the drill rods. They will then engage and hold said drill rods from any downward movement, as soon as any weight of the rod comes upon them. This is accomplished by slightly lowering the beam 31, while at the same time thegrips 34 are prevented from being carried down As soon as the beam 31 has lowered slightly, the grips 34 are released from the drill rod, and may easily be removed therefrom, the water swivel having been first removed from the drill rod by stopping the same by placing some form of a brake against the apron 41. After the two grips 34 are removed from their support, the beam 31 may be raised to the top of its feed screws, whereupon a fresh length of drill ,rod is secured to the water swivel. This drill rod is then passed through the support for the grips 34, and the water swivel is lowered to a position close to said grips, the latter for the time being, belng held. away from the fresh drill rod. The pulley 7 5 is then secured to said fresh length of drill rod, and the two arms 81 are secured against the same to prevent it from being pulled out of line. It will be understood, of course, that during all of this time the main set of drill rods isbeing continuously rotated by the rolls 63. When the pulley 75 has been placed in position, and when the arm 81 is placed against the fresh drill rod, all that is necessary is to lower the drill rod against the drills then in use. The belt tightener 88 is at the same time pressed against the belt 7 6 to cause the fresh length of drill rod to be rotated faster than the drill rods in use. The fresh length of drill rod is then brought into contact with the drill rod in use and it is quickly tightened into position by means of the belt 76. As soon as it is tightened sufficiently, the spring 80 may be knocked off the pulley 75 and the locksTG may then be driven up, whereupon the pulley will fall upon a suitable platform and will quickly cease rotating. It may then be removed from the drill shaft, and the grips 34 will then be dropped into position against the fresh length of drill rod. The grips 17 may then be removed by lifting the beam 31 slightly, while the grips 17 are at the same time raised slightly. As soon as gripsl? are loosened, they may be blocked up out of contact with their support, or may be removed therefrom if desired. The drilling isthen ready to proceed again until the fresh length of drill rod is used up, whereupon the operations are repeated. The advantage of this form of apparatus lies in the fact that the drills may form a hole with the smallest possible clearance, since none of the crushed material passes outside the drill rod, all of it being discharged through the central opening in the drills. A further advantage lies in the fact that the drills may be kept running at all times, thus doing away with the liability to breakage due to the drills becoming set in the hole, when the drilling operations are discontinued for a short period, as in the changing of the rods. ratus lies in the fact that it becomes a very simple matter to determine absolutely what stratum is being penetrated at any (given moment, since all'that is necessary to eter- A further advantageof this appamine exactly the stratum being penetrated iswardly, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that any form of feeding mechanism may be used, as, for example,

the hydraulic feed might equally vwell be used in the place of the feed shown.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letings, a revoluble member supported upon. said bearings, and, frusto--conical shells 'ters Patent of the United States is as fol lows: 1

1. In a mechanism forcontinuously rotating a drill rod and comprising a driven wheel, two pairs of grooved rollers, the axesv ofone pair ofrollers being at 90 to the axes of the other pair, adapted to contact with the part to be driven, and links connecting the journals of said grooved rollerswhereby they. may be drawn together to grip said driven rod, substantially as de scribed. Y a

2. In an apparatus for continuous drilling, a support for a drill said support comprising a beam carrying'anti-friction bearadapted to contact with the drill rod to pre- -.vent its longitu dinalmovement. and to per mit its-rotation with said revoluble support,-

substantially as described.

3. In an apparatus for operating a drill rod continuously a driven wheel, grooved rollers carried thereby, a drill extending be tween said grooved rollers, and semi-cylindrical shells adapted to be placed upon said drill rod and to contact with said roll ers to rotate scribed. V

4., In an apparatus for continuously rotating a drill rod. means to rotate said, drill rod continuously, means to support said said rod, substantially asdedrillrod'to prevent its downward movement, and means whereby afresh length of drill rod may be screwed into place at the top of the rods being rotated without stop pingthe rotation of said rods, substantially.

as described. 5. In an apparatus for continuously operating drill rods a set of drill rods, a driven -wheel, rollers carried thereby to rotate said rods, asupport to prevent the downward movement of said drill rods, a removable pulley adapted to be connected with a fresh section of drill rod, means to hold said fresh section of drill rod in position over the rods being rotated, anda belt passing around said pulley to rotate said fresh section of rod more rapidly than the rods then in use, substantially as described.

6. In an apparatus for the continuous ro tation of drill rods a-set of drill'rods, a driven wheel through the center of which said set of drillrods passes, grooved rollers carried by said wheel to rotatesaid set of rods, a support for said drill rods, means to 'feed said drill rods downwardly as desired, and a water swivel havin afeed pipe and stantially as described.

7. In an apparatus for continuously rotating drill rods a set of drill rods, a driven wheelthrough which said drill rods. pass, grooved rollers carried by said wheel for rothe downward movement of said drill rods, a pulley adapted to be secured to a fresh length of drill rod 'a'movable arm to hold said f'resh length of drill rod in a fixed position, a belt passing over said pulley .and passing over a pulley of such diameter on "the main driveshaft as to permit the more. rapid rotation of the fresh length of drill rod than the rotation of the sections then in. use, and a water swivel to be secured to the scribed. o

"8. In an apparatus for continuous drilling a set of drill rods, means to rotate them continuously, a fixed support adapted to hold when a fresh length of drill ,rod is to be add ed, a second and movable support adapted to and frusto-conical snells adapted to contact with said drill rods and with said support to prevent the downward movement of said drill rods, substantially as described.-

' drill rods, a beam, a frame supported upon .revolublen thereon loag's proj eating" within ed to contact with a drill rod, and with said. inwardly projecting balls carried by said frame, substantially as described. i

In testimon whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 2 day, of March A. D. 1911, in the presence of the two subscribedwitnesses.

. GEORGE WATSON MOALLISTER. Witnesses:

C. P. 'Gnngrln L. H. ANDERSON.

anti-friction bearings upon said beam and said frame, and frusto-conical slfills adapt discharge pipe connected therewith, subtating said drill rods, a support to prevent fresh drill section, substantially as desaid drill rods from longitudinal movement feed said drill rods downwardly as required,

rotated drill rods, said support'comprising a frame revoluble on anti-friction bearings;

10; In a support for continuously rotated. 

